Seeds for 06/02/2023 - Matthew 6:7-8

Scripture: ^7 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Observation: Briefly, Jesus breaks His tight pattern in order to say a little more about prayer. It’s a “while I’m on the subject…” moment.

Prayer is many things. One definition is this: Prayer is a conversation with God that participates in the work of God.

We may have more or less words on a given day. Babbling on to make sure we are heard is not recommended by Jesus. He agrees with Ecclesiastes: “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” (Ecc 5:2)

Jesus isn’t coming down on the more verbose among His followers so much as He’s talking about method—what we do because we think that is what will work: “for they think they will be heard because of their many words.”

When we remember that the connection of the soul to the Lord is the essence of prayer, then we know that silence works perfectly well. Words are fine, it’s just that prayer doesn’t require many of them. They don’t even have to be ours. We can borrow from scripture, prayer books, and great prayers of the saints.

I once heard the late Baptist evangelist Tony Campolo comment on Jesus’ words here to this effect: “Do we really think that when we pray, ‘Lord, please help sister Mary in the hospital’ that God is responding, ‘Really?!? Which hospital??’”

Now, God really does want us to pray for our own needs and concerns, and to intercede for the needs and concerns of others. If prayer is indeed a conversation with God that participates in the work of God, then God is not dependent on our explanation. We’re joining a conversation, not starting it. God is inviting us to speak to Him about all the matters on our hearts and to share in His wisdom, love, and care for ourselves and others.

We cannot escape that is prayer and how it “works” is a mystery. But that isn’t the point. Prayer is not a mystery to be solved; it is a mystery to be entered. All that is required is a heart to seek the Lord.

Application:

• What is the shortest prayer you know how to pray?

• When have you connected with God in silence?

• What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?

Prayer: Lord, with or without words, with or without explanations, I bring myself to you in prayer. May I know your presence and participate in your goodness through my praying. Amen.

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“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)

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